The present invention relates to a longitudinal control arm for connecting an axle tube to a vehicle frame, as well as a vehicle axle system, in particular for a utility vehicle.
Longitudinal control arms of the type in question are known in the prior art. They are used e.g. in rigid axle systems or steering axle systems of utility vehicles. They serve for connecting an axle tube to a vehicle or to a vehicle frame and ensure that the axle tube is guided laterally. In addition, they form part of the spring and damping system of the chassis, and as such they exhibit respective possibilities of connection for spring and damper elements. A disadvantage of the known longitudinal control arms, however, is that they are very large and heavy to build since it is required to transmit great forces. This additionally restricts the limited space conditions below the vehicle or below the vehicle frame. An optimum connection between the longitudinal control arm and the axle tube or between the longitudinal control arms and the vehicle frame is thus often not possible. Additionally, there are in most cases limitations on the use of wide-base tires, large drum brakes or also large disk brakes since the known longitudinal control arms build too wide. When used in steering axle systems, the steering angles, which may be realized, are in many cases inherently smaller than is desired.
Therefore, the object underlying the present invention is to provide a longitudinal control arm for connecting an axle tube to a vehicle frame, as well as a vehicle axle system, which do not exhibit the mentioned disadvantages and which allow for a more flexible arrangement of the longitudinal control arm(s) both on the vehicle frame and on the axle tube.